Justin Guarini Joins WHY I'LL NEVER MAKE IT Podcast as the First Guest On Season Five

To kickstart Season Five of the Why I'll Never Make It podcast, Justin Guarini (Wicked, In Transit) joins host Patrick Oliver Jones to talk about the musical journey that led up to American Idol, his rollercoaster years afterwards, and the Broadway home he has found since.

In this two-part conversation, Guarini reveals the childhood moment that led to his desire to be on stage. He also gives a cautionary tale of his college years and how he didn't always make the most of that education. "My internal mantra was 'What can school do for me?' as opposed to what can I do for own self in school." While in college, though, he auditioned for his first Broadway show and finally landed a role in the ensemble after years of back-and-forth callbacks. However, he ended up turning down that Broadway debut to instead take part in a little known show at the time, American Idol.

Idol may have skyrocketed Guarini to a level of fame and opportunity he could only dream about, there came with it times of loneliness and self-doubt. From a critically-panned movie with Kelly Clarkson to being dropped by his record label, he found himself at a strange place in his career. "I was living in a mansion in Bel-Air, having my Fresh Prince moment, yet I was the most miserable I had ever been."

He eventually found solid footing, though, once he came back to New York, and almost 10 years after that initial offer Guarini finally got his Broadway debut in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown with an all-star cast. And through out his Broadway career he has learned a great deal from theater icons like Patti LuPone, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Chuck Cooper. But his biggest lesson was changing that mantra around and looking for ways to do for others, not only in in his shows but for the theater community as a whole. "I want to continue to make art. I want to continue to make improvements. I want to continue to help people avoid the traps and pitfalls I fell into."

Listen to the episode below!

Listen to this episode and more at whyillnevermakeit.com.

Justin Bell Guarini's robust professional performance career launched with the first season of American Idol in 2002. His stage and screen appearances since then have included principal roles in six Broadway productions as well as hosting in-studio shows for The TV Guide Network along with hosting live red-carpet events, the Oscars, the Emmys, and the Grammys. In 2019, Justin founded The Warrior Artist Alliance to help performers achieve success in a challenging industry. He shares his tips, tricks, breadth of experience, and warrior mindset with a community of performers through podcasts, blogs, and dynamic training programs.

Why I'll Never Make It is a weekly theater podcast hosted by actor and singer Patrick Oliver Jones and features fellow creatives sharing their own struggles and setbacks in the performing arts. Upcoming guests in Season Five include Geoffrey Owens from The Cosby Show and Romeo & Juliet with Guarini, Gabrielle Ruiz from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and the Evita National Tour with Jones, and Adrienne Walker from The Lion King and Kiss Me, Kate.